He nodded, and at once his expression relaxed again.
“So,” continued Michael, “as I was saying, I’ve decided to forgive you for your mistake. Come home with me, and we’ll forget this ever happened. The three of us will be together again, as a family.”
“I—”
“You what?” he demanded. “You don’t want to be with your son? What sort of a mother are you? Bad enough that you stole him from his loving home and forced him to live in squalor, away from his father. Maybe you’re not fit to be his mother.”
“No, I’m sorry!” She swallowed bile and lowered her voice. “You’re right, we can be a family, but please, can we talk about this in another room, so we don’t wake Riley? Please?”
He glared at her for a long moment, and then his face was abruptly calm, and he nodded.
“Yeah, we can talk in the kitchen. You can make us some drinks.”
“Okay.”
“Richardson, stay here and keep an eye on the kids.”
Hopefully, Chase had heard that.
As the pair made their way to the kitchen, Michael casually stretched his hands up and yawned. It lifted up his jacket and exposed the holster on his hip. His not-so-subtle way of letting her know he was carrying a gun, just in case she was thinking of trying anything. Or maybe just because he’d always enjoying scaring her. But the only thing that scared her now was Riley being hurt, and with Michael in another room, at least his violence couldn’t be directed athim.
The kitchen was just as filthy and decrepit as the rest of the cabin. Neither of the two men had bothered to make the area hospitable for the children, and it was clear neither of them cared about cleanliness. There was a cooler on top of the counter, presumably which they were using in lieu of a refrigerator given the cabin’s lack of power. A battery powered kettle was next to it, and a couple of unwashed mugs.
She knew how Michael took his coffee—he’d seen to that—so she didn’t waste time waiting for him to ask. Better that he thought she was doing what he wanted, that she wanted to make up for her ‘mistake’. She flipped the switch and spooned some granules into the clearer-looking of the mugs.
“Milk’s in the cooler,” he grunted. She opened it and found the small milk bottle nestled amongst dozens of beers and a few bottles of water. No prizes of guessing how his goon had been passing his time. But not Michael. Drinking beer was beneath him, or so he claimed. If it cost less than fifty dollars a bottle, he wouldn’t look twice at it. She was half-surprised he would even come here at all, but then again, when his son was involved, there were no limits to how far he’d go. Even, apparently, sinking to setting foot in a place like this. He was too smart to check into the town’s only motel—he never stayed anywhere he might be noticed.
Her nerves were wound tight as she moved around the grimy kitchen, trying not to look directly at Michael in case he saw the defiance mixed with the fear in her eyes. She just had to hold it together a little longer, fool him for a few more minutes…
A loud, booming thud made her yelp and whirl around, for one confused moment thinking Michael had thrown something at her, but his hand flew to his gun in the same instant it registered the thud had come from farther away. In the other room.
Michael’s face contorted into a snarl and he unholstered the weapon, his low steady grip showing he knew exactly how to use the pistol. He marched to the door and she lunged forward, grabbing at his arm. He rounded on her, expression murderous.
“What?” he snarled.
Hailey swallowed. “Nothing. I…I just wanted to tell you to be careful.”
Michael snorted. “Like I needed you to tell me that, you dumb bitch.”
He shook her off and stalked out of the room. She followed behind, hoping she’d bought Chase enough time to get the children out. And she knew she should get out, too, while Michael was distracted, but she couldn’t. Not until she knew for sure her son was safe.
Michael froze in the doorway, bringing his gun up to bear, and over his shoulder Hailey saw Chase, now human and wearing the guard’s pants. He was leaning out of the window, passing the last kid outside, and his back was fully turned to them. Hailey’s heart squeezed painfully.
“Chase!” she shouted.
His reflexes were faster than any she’d seen, and he fell back from the window and rolled away, his eyes coming up to lock onto Michael. But Michael’s gun was already raised, and it tracked Chase mercilessly.
His finger started to squeeze the trigger, and Hailey threw herself forward, wrenching Michael’s hands upwards just as he took his first shot. Gunfire echoed throughout the room. A large hole formed in the ceiling, raining debris around them. Michael snarled and drove an elbow into her ribs, sending white hot agony lancing through her. She staggered back with a pained gasp.
But she’d done what she needed. Chase rose from his crouch in a single smooth motion, and made it one full step toward them before Michael swung the gun away from him…to her.
She froze. Chase froze. Michael smiled.
“Yeah, that’s right,” he said. “You take one more step, and she’s dead. Chase, is it?”
Chase straightened, showing Michael his hands as he eyed him warily.
“You really thought you could just walk into my life and steal my woman? You?” He sneered, looking Chase up and down. “You’re a nobody. A nothing. I have money, power, respect. And what do you have?”
